Rosenberg Texas
December 17, 2023 to March 1, 2023
Start 25,617 End 28,456 2839 miles
miles Click any of the images for a higher resolution picture First things first. This is what a Galveston beach looks like. I am not sure how many hundreds of miles of beach there are, but this is what pretty much all of it looks like. It is not the cottony soft sand of the Outer Banks. It is easy walking.  Leaving on a Sunday morning is definitely the way to start a trip to Texas. Driving no more than eight and a half hours is defintely the way to make it an easy trip. We left at around 5:30 am and drove about eight or nine hours to Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Seemed odd stopping at about 2:30 pm. Seemed like we could put many more hours on our trip. But it was the best decision ever. We stopped at the Buffalo/I-40 KOA. While very noisy, we still enjoyed a nice evenging. Another nine hours or so brought us to Lufkin, Texas, to the Lufkin KOA. Nice place and recommended for a overnight. From our second stop:  Some interesting fencing:  On Tuesday a short(er) two and a half hour drive and we were there!
ROAR says the dinosaur!
Landon has a new chair!
We took a trip to Brazo Bend State Park. This is a Common Gallinule. An interesting bird!
Whistling Ducks on the new path around the lake.
We took a trip to Brazos Bend for a great three to four mile walk. We visited another park placed in a levee and retention basin. We saw the Browns beat the Texans at Houston's stadium. We had a great Christmas. One of our morning walks:
From our Houston-Browns game:
We had to get the truck working. You don't want to know what happened to this fuse.
While in Galveston we visited Pleasure Pier:
AND ON THE GROUND:
From our Galveston trip. We headed down to the #40 access point by the toll bridge:
Lesa, Matt and Papoosed Landon!
From an early morning walk. The Gulf was brilliant bright blue and the sky a dozen shades of red.
Nothing to see here. Move on. Just a Great Blue Heron on two rocks.
Looking west from the sea wall. They're doing something at a new, large construction site.
Landon talking to daddy:
Landon talking to Grandpa:
Liam made a candy dinner:
The dogs are strickly prohibited from Landon's stuff. They have been told. And told. And told.
Matt's 40th birthday party at B&Bs with Lesa, Liam, Melody, Mike, Andy and Peanut.
On one of our morning walks Odo had a fit about a fence ornament of a bug dressed up for Christmas:
The swan is back at the lake and was not about to move for Toodledip or Odo:
Here's an Ibis just off the path and not really wanting to fly away.
A trip to Walmart showed hundreds of birds sitting on just about every car!
Staying at the house in the motorhome:
The beach entry:
The toll house:
The entry sign:
The surf condition sign. Like at the OBX, they rarely update the flags so whatever is flying is often way off actual conditions:
This is a huge beach compared to the OBX. But in a storm ... OH BOY!
This is looking back from the 1.5 mile east walk.
A new dune was built just past the seavall.
And runoff is taking it out.
Toodles approves of the new swivel seat:
Here's a White Tail Hawk stalking dinner:
A trip to the Kelly Hambry Nature Trail which wasn't much to see. I did take a walk on the beach and saw some houses that have serious erosion issues.
Video one of pelican fishing: Another view of the pelican:
Saw a full size drone, the kind we kill people with, fly over but couldn't get a decent picture.
Did the Gulf side of Galveston State Park. If you do Swale Trail and the roads, sidewalks and campgrounds you get 3.4 miles.
The side of this camper indicates it has been all over the world.
Prairie Trail was dry except for some REALLY wet spots. The dogs had to get an outside bath.
Bayside has kayak rentals:
Feral hogs! Piggies made a mess!
Park put out piggie cams!
A long term forecast of 20 degree F temperatures led me to Walmart. The freeze never came.
January beaches at Galveston SP:
A Crested Caracara let us walk under the pole he was sitting on.
This is 1.75 miles west of Woody's. It is at the Tipsy Turtle beach access point, looking back toward Woody's. This is a January Galveston Island beach!
Some pictures of a White Tail Hawk I saw on the way back to Woody's. It was pretty clear it was hunting other birds as when it dove, there was a whole flock of birds scattering.
Snowbird challenge completed: Picked up a prescription:
Heading back to Rosenberg:
Making ice cream:
In Ohio we have racoons in the garbage. In Texas Matt has buzzards.
While walking the neighborhood we came across a new fence hanging:
Landon's first time in a high chair!
Matt and Landon:
Two of my mail-from-CLE packages were delayed and I had to make a special trip to Galveston during a period of heavy rain. Here is what it looked like. There are a number of other water photos in the directory.
You really haven't lived until you deal with alligators. This is Brazos Bend State Park. The alligator across the path wasn't really an issue as that alligator was sleeping. The other one, the one on the left, stood up and faced us. Didn't chase us but still. We retreated.
This Great Egret refused to move. Until Toodles described to him his fate.
A turtle that demanded I take a picture. OK, fine.
BUT! And this one caused us to leave, you havn't lived until an alligator well out in the water growls so loudly that the air in your chest viabrates. And does that while swimming toward you.
NOTE TO SELF: Look for Muscovy Ducks in the neighbor's yard prior to releasing dogs!
On our January 30, 2024 walk we met a loose dog and his owner. Findlay was living the best life off lead. After trying to coax Findlay back some aggression was exhibited but to no avail. Findlay quit bugging us when a couple of kids walking to school appeared to be a better target.
I finally got a picture, however crappy, of the bluebird(s) who have been showing up on Landon's PiBIRDNET.
February 1,2024: Landon's first bite of food
While walking down 7 1/2 Mile Road, I spied two Snowy Egret and a piece of wood. It was only after I got back to the motorhome I realized it wasn't wood. Found a Black Crowned Night Heron!
On another day, at the same place, I caught another photo of a Snowy Egret.
Morning walks looking east from the center of the highway. Fog is the norm.
Looking west:
Two miles west on the beach is a house who built a breakwall to protect their property. Many around here used dyed concrete to make rocks or form walls.
Mini Cooper on the beach!
Where the dune used to be:
Now these are sandbags. They might be filled with concrete.
Testing beach grass:
Ongoing Christmas tree disposal:
But it is a WIDE beach!
Lots of coal on the beach. They say it is from shipwrecks.
Dead house standing.
Another dead house standing. They are trying to shore it up with 12 x 12s. In the OBX the ocean would have purchase on the beams and push the house over.
Lots of Moon Jellyfish dead on the beach.
Tuesday's walk of 4.6 miles. I was trying to go to where I left off; to the Bermuda Beach Pocket Park. NOTE: Still need the mile between Bermuda and Seashell Beach Pocket Parks!
They not only have garbage drums but even dumpsters on Jamaica Beach!
Odo! Snake hunter extroidinaire!
No dopey feds stopping things the neighbors need.
Jamaica Beach driving regs.
Walking arount the lake at Matt's development, there are large flocks of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks. They are the most interesting bird! They really do whistle. These are before we walk past them and after images.
There's always a show off!
An evening walk at Brazos River Park.
Ducks on a nice, safe, warm roof:
The ducks are catching cooties!!!!
This is a single ant hill at Cullinan Park, TX:
And there are ant trails. Below is two pictures of a LONG trail and a close up of the ants:
Walking down a trail we spied a raggedy looking coyote using our trail coming at us. The coyote moved a bit in the woods and passed us by. I wish I could have gotten a better picture.
Matt had to prove himself on the swing. And he did.
Matt and Landon on the single-track trail. This is an old bicycle trail. This is where we learned that pram tires are not impervious to prickers.
Landon's first steps in his walker:
A Cullinan Park alligator
Had a very easy ride home. Left Galveston at about 4 am. I breezed out and through Houston. Left on a Friday morning and drove to Memphis. Saturday to Cincinnatti. Sunday home. No issues.
Another really great trip! Had a wonderful time with the kids. For up-to-date park maps and information, check the |
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